Track Brand Mentions in AI Answers
Make LLMs See You
Columbus AEO is the only completely free AEO platform with 100% authentic data from real AI platforms.
Answer the right questions, optimize your online presence, and see results immediately. Track your visibility for free, then fix issues fast with actionable recommendations.
Track visibility across 6 AI platforms
See Your Visibility in Action
Real-time insights into how AI platforms see your brand
Platform Comparison
Visibility by AI platform
Top Citation Sources
Most cited domains
Performance Over Time
Visibility trends across competitors
Optimization Recommendations
Suggestions to improve your visibility
Add structured FAQ schema to pricing page
AI models are not finding answers to common pricing questions. Adding FAQ schema could increase visibility by ~15%.
Create comparison content vs. Asana & ClickUp
Competitors are being cited more in comparison queries. Publishing detailed comparison guides could capture this traffic.
Update meta descriptions with feature keywords
Your meta descriptions are missing key feature terms that AI models use for context. Simple update across 12 pages.
The Flaw of Current AEO Tools
Every AEO tool falls into one of two camps, and both have critical flaws.
API-Based Tools
Official APIs for data collection
- API responses differ from real user results
- Different citation strategies than UI
- Black box with unknown processing
Web Scraping Tools
Bots and proxy infrastructure
- Violates Terms of Service of all AI platforms
- Expensive proxy infrastructure
- Risk of account bans and disruption
A Completely Different Approach
Columbus shifts the scanning to you. Use your own AI platform accounts and subscriptions. Run scans via our desktop app, manually or on autopilot. The result?
100% Authentic Data
Exactly what real users see in AI interfaces
Your Own Accounts
Use your existing AI subscriptions, no extra costs
Free Forever Tier
No infrastructure costs means truly free AEO
From Scan to Insights
A seamless flow from your desktop to actionable insights
Automated Scanning
Scans run fully automated in the background using your own AI accounts. Set it and forget it.
AI Analysis
Our AI analyzes responses to find mentions, citations, and competitive gaps.
View Insights
Beautiful dashboard with visibility scores and actionable recommendations.
Everything You Need to Win in AI
A complete toolkit to monitor, analyze, and optimize your AI visibility
Desktop Scanning App
Run scans manually or set up daily auto-scans. Uses your own AI accounts for 100% authentic data.
6 AI Platforms
Track visibility across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Overview, and AI Mode.
Competitor Tracking
See which competitors get cited, which of their pages appear, and identify your competitive gaps.
Citation & Source Tracking
Know exactly which of your pages get cited by AI. Understand what content drives AI mentions.
Regional Testing
Test visibility from different geographic regions. See how AI responds vary by location.
Visibility Reports
Generate comprehensive PDF reports with visibility trends, competitor analysis, and action items.
Tools to Improve Your Visibility
Don't just track—take action with AI-powered tools that help you get mentioned more
Recommendations
Actionable suggestions based on visibility gaps
AI Insights
Auto-detect changes and opportunities
Keyword Discovery
Find questions from "People Also Ask"
Reddit Discovery
Find conversations to engage with
Page Freshness
Monitor content age across pages
Blog Generator
AI-optimized content from keywords
Cross-Posting
One-click publish to Dev.to, Hashnode, Medium, Blogger, Tumblr & Telegraph
Simple Pricing
Start free, upgrade when you're ready. No hidden fees.
Common Questions
Everything you need to know about AEO and Columbus
About Answer Engine Optimization
What is AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)?
AEO is the practice of optimizing your brand's visibility in AI-powered search engines and chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity. Unlike traditional SEO which focuses on ranking in search results, AEO focuses on getting your brand mentioned and recommended in AI-generated conversational responses.
Why does AEO matter for my business?
AI chatbots are rapidly becoming a primary way people search for information. ChatGPT alone has 700+ million weekly active users and has captured 1% of the global search market (85 million daily searches). When someone asks "What's the best [your category]?", you want your brand to be mentioned. AEO-optimized content achieves 3x higher citation rates compared to traditionally optimized content.
How do AI platforms choose which brands to mention?
AI platforms prioritize content freshness (65% of citations come from content published in the past year), content depth (2,000+ words), structured data like FAQ and HowTo schema markup, and authoritative sources. Unlike traditional SEO where backlinks dominate, AI systems operate on "trust graphs" where brand mentions are 3.2x more frequent than citations.
Do different AI platforms behave differently?
Yes, significantly. There's only 11% overlap in sources cited between ChatGPT and Perplexity. ChatGPT has the strongest recency bias (76% of citations from the last 30 days), while Perplexity heavily favors Reddit content (6.6% of all citations). Only Google Gemini can render JavaScript - other AI crawlers see empty pages for client-side rendered apps. This is why multi-platform tracking is essential.
About Columbus
How does Columbus work?
Columbus uses a lightweight desktop app that runs scans using your own AI platform accounts (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). When you run a scan, it sends your configured prompts to each platform and collects the real responses, analyzing them for brand mentions, citations, sentiment, and competitor presence. This gives you 100% authentic data - exactly what real users see.
Why does Columbus use a desktop app instead of cloud scanning?
Most AEO tools use official APIs which return different results than what users see. Columbus's desktop approach is unique: you use your own accounts, so the data is 100% authentic - you see exactly what real users see, including personalized results. No bots, no proxies, just real AI responses.
Is Columbus really free? What's the catch?
There's no catch. Columbus can offer a free tier because our desktop-first approach has minimal infrastructure costs - we don't need expensive proxy servers or API credits to run your scans. The free tier includes core visibility tracking, and paid plans add features like unlimited products, automated daily scans, and advanced recommendations. We believe every business should be able to track their AI visibility.
What AI platforms does Columbus support?
Columbus tracks visibility across 6 major AI platforms: ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, and Google AI Mode. Each platform is analyzed separately because they have different source preferences, citation patterns, and ranking factors. You can also test from different geographic regions using proxy configuration.
Getting Started & Technical
How do I improve my AI visibility once I know my score?
Columbus provides actionable recommendations based on your scan results. Common improvements include: updating content frequently (AI platforms strongly favor fresh content), adding FAQ and HowTo schema markup (50% increase in AI snippets), ensuring your site uses server-side rendering (most AI crawlers can't execute JavaScript), and building presence on high-citation platforms like Reddit and Wikipedia.
How long does it take to see results from AEO?
Quick wins like FAQ schema optimization can show results in 4-8 weeks. Medium-term improvements like consistent content updates typically show impact in 3-6 months. Long-term authority building for category dominance takes 6-12 months. The key is consistency - AI platforms reward frequently updated, comprehensive content.
Do I need existing AI platform accounts to use Columbus?
Yes, you'll need free accounts on the AI platforms you want to track (ChatGPT, Claude, etc.). The free tiers of these platforms work fine for scanning. Columbus uses your accounts to send queries and collect responses, which is why the data is 100% authentic.
Can I track competitors with Columbus?
Yes, competitor tracking is a core feature. Columbus identifies which competitors appear in AI responses for your target prompts, which of their pages get cited, and how their visibility compares to yours. This competitive intelligence helps you identify content gaps and opportunities.
Download the Desktop App
The Columbus desktop app runs scans automatically using your own AI platform accounts. Get 100% authentic visibility data.
Version 1.1.2 • Free forever
Works with Windows 10+, macOS 11+, and Ubuntu 20.04+
1. Download & Install
Install the app and sign in with your Columbus account
2. Connect AI Platforms
Log in to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity
3. Run Scans
Get authentic visibility data automatically every day
Ready to Dominate AI Search?
Start scanning for free today. See exactly where you rank across all major AI platforms.
No credit card required